A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka to two years in prison for defrauding a U.S. citizen, Mrs. Yvelte Thompson, of $53,000 by impersonating Nigerian musician Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour N’abania.

Justice Dehinde Dipeolu handed down the sentence after Ipaka pleaded guilty to a two-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, presented evidence from EFCC investigator Azibagiri Ekpar. The witness testified that Ipaka impersonated Flavour, claiming to organize concerts in the United States and receiving payments through his Bitcoin wallets. The fraud came to light after a petition was filed by Eyitayo Abiodun and others on behalf of the victim.

Ekpar stated, “We invited Flavour, who cooperated fully and denied any involvement in the fraud. Our investigation led us to Ipaka Courage in Benin City, Edo State, who confessed to impersonating Flavour and defrauding a U.S. citizen of $53,000 in 2021. He transferred the funds through Bitcoin wallets and converted them into Naira through his Access Bank account. We recovered N7.9 million from the defendant through manager’s cheques from Zenith and Access Bank.”

In light of Ipaka’s guilty plea and the evidence presented, Justice Dipeolu sentenced him to two years in prison, with an option to pay a N2 million fine. Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of the recovered N7.9 million to Mrs. Thompson.